A man with a vision of what the United States could become

George Washington was the indispensable Founding Father. He was unanimously chosen four straight times to lead: as commander in chief of the Continental Army; as president of the Constitutional Convention; and for two consecutive terms as president of the United States. Even in his retirement, the Senate unanimously confirmed him as head of the new Army. All of this was accomplished as he set...

The life of an unsung founding father

Other than George Washington, no other American leader was present at more turning points in the early years of the Republic than Alexander Hamilton. He was a rarity among the founding fathers: an outstanding thinker as well as excellent government visionary and executive. In his well-researched Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow contends that Hamilton was "the foremost political figure in...

Examining the richest American of his time

Computer software magnate Bill Gates may be refining the art of monopoly as we enter the next millennium, but it was John D. Rockefeller who perfected the practice more than a century ago. Indeed, much can be learned about the current state of capitalism and competition by studying Rockefeller, who dominated the oil market as America moved into the 20th century. Ron Chernow's latest book, Titan...

Audio Column by Sukey Howard

John D. Rockefeller, usually seen as the quintessential capitalist for whom money was all, became, in later life, the quintessential philanthropist. How these two seemingly disparate sides were reconciled in one man and what molded his obsessive need to accumulate wealth and disperse it makes Titan (6 hours) both an intimate portrait of the man as terrifying tycoon, loving father, devout...